Hawkers take over Abuja streets

There is no food for the lazy man. No one knows this better than residents of Abuja where the cost of living is only suitable for the rich. Many of them took to hawking and have since become a ubiquious sight in the nation’s capital.

In order to survive, the average residents try their hands on all sorts of businesses-tailoring, transportation, dry-cleaning, car washing, trading, among other things.

While some traders have shops, some who do not have mount containers, kiosks or even make shades with umbrellas by the roadside, while some others run after a moving vehicle along with their goods.

These diligent traders, unmindful of the implications of selling by the roadside, go about their businesses without the fear of being crushed by a moving vehicle.

Worse still, some of them display their goods on the expressway irrespective of the heaps of dirt surrounding them.

These road hawkers are never scarce in places such as Deidei Junction, Phase 3 Expressway, Second gate, Zuba, etc.

What is surprising is that even young boys who should either be in school or with their parents at home are seen running after vehicles in motion just to sell their goods.

When our correspondent approached one of the young boys who hawks along Phase 3 Kubwa express road, he narrated he kicked-off hawking after the demise of his father 2 years ago.

The 11 years old boy who schools in one of the primary schools in Kubwa said his business starts immediately after school and closes by 7pm, adding that he hawks other edibles such as fruits and satchet water.

Asked if he is not scared of being hit by a vehicle, he said: “I get scared sometimes but God is my father and he knows my mummy needs this money to train me and my younger sisters in school”.

With smiles on his face, he continued: “I get plenty money from this thing I sell and people dash me money. Whenever I give the money to my mother she blesses me and I am happy.”

For Mrs. Zitgwai Umar who who sells fruits by Deidei expressway, death is inevitable irrespective of were we are.

Her words: “Anywhere you are, if God says your time is up, it is up. So if we are selling on the main road, if God says we will die, there is no way to escape from death. You come for it you go for it”.

The fruit seller who seemed fearless of when death calls, revealed that she has witnessed several accidents on Deidei expressway.

“I have seen many accidents on this road but what will I do? Are my God? Whenever there is a car accident, I run for my life and still come back because this is the only way I can survive.”

Also, a road commuter who plies from Zuba to Wuse/Berger, Mr. Simon said that he has witnessed a lot of accidents condemn the lives of so many road hawkers.

Citing instances, he said: “About three months ago, a trailer that failed break Dankogi, Zuba express road, ran into all these roadside sellers and killed so many of them while some sustained injuries. Again, a car recently hit one of them at deidei junction and from what I saw, I don’t think he would survive it”.

Mr. Simon observed that road hawkers see using the pedestrial bridge as tiresome and so suggested that government should construct wires exactly the same way they did at NICON junction to prevent these hawkers from wasting their lives in the name of making money.

For Mr. Shaibu, who sells car parts at Deidei junction, he said it is disheartening for people to sell goods where there are heaps of dirts especially when such goods are edibles.

He said that those that sell edibles such as suya, tuwo, masa, awara, Gurasa, Denwake and the like usually come out every evening to sell not minding the dirt surrounding them.

According to shaibu Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) chase these roadside hawkers who litter everywhere with dirt but they still come back because this is their own way of getting their daily bread.

He however praised the AEPB for a job well done but urged them to do more by providing a waste bin where the refuse will be dumped as it is detrimental to the health.

He also recommended that government should provide a place, very close to the bus-stop, where the roadside food sellers would sell to hungry passengers, who would rush in to eat, as some of these roadside hawkers are victims of the ongoing demolition in Kubwa.”